SR0501 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0501 LRB103 34600 ECR 64438 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of George E. Hopkins, Ph.D., who passed away on September 28, 2023; and

WHEREAS, George Hopkins was born to Homer and Lillian Hunt Hopkins in Shawnee, Oklahoma on March 6, 1937; while residing in Texas, he graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1955 and Southern Methodist University in 1959; he joined the U.S. Navy Reserve during high school and attended Officer Training School while in college; after college, he was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy; he applied for flight training and was assigned to the patrol squadron PATRON 50 in Iwakuni, Japan for a three-year tour of duty, where he piloted a U.S. Navy P5M seaplane; he married Elaine Bridges in Dallas, Texas in 1959; he earned his Ph.D. in History from the University of Texas at Austin; and

WHEREAS, George Hopkins was hired by Western Illinois University in 1968, where he taught lecture classes on the Vietnam War and U.S. presidential assassinations, as well as many other subjects, until his retirement in 2007; and

WHEREAS, George Hopkins authored the book The Airline Pilots: A Study in Elite Unionization, published by Harvard University Press in 1971; he also authored Flying the Line, Volumes I and II, published in 1982 and 2000, respectively, published by the Airline Pilots Association, where he served as a consultant; and

WHEREAS, George Hopkins was named Professor of the Year by Western Illinois University students in 1979 and Distinguished Faculty Lecturer by his colleagues in 2003; and

WHEREAS, George Hopkins was a member of the Macomb Flyers; and

WHEREAS, George Hopkins and his wife shared a wide variety of interests, including traveling, biking, skiing, reading, attending live theater, and touring museums; and

WHEREAS, George Hopkins is survived by his wife; his children, Jennifer (Paul) Wheeler and Paul W. Hopkins; his grandchildren, Sam (Carolyn) Wheeler, Joey (Stephanie) Wheeler, Jack (Karen) Wheeler, and Breanna Hopkins; his great-grandchildren, Lillian Elaine and Charles Robert; and one great-grandchild on the way; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of George E. Hopkins, Ph.D. and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of George Hopkins as an expression of our deepest sympathy.